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Turning to wind power: Lusatian companies are fighting for survival!
The article highlights the current challenges facing the wind power industry in Germany, in particular bankruptcies and economic conditions. He analyzes how subsidies and bureaucratic hurdles influence the future of renewable energies in Lusatia.
Turning to wind power: Lusatian companies are fighting for survival!
The energy transition in Germany is in a huge dilemma. On July 8, 2025, numerous companies in the wind power industry will be on the brink of existence. The wind turbine manufacturer Vestas has decided to close its factory in Lusatia. This factory has been producing rotor blades since 2002 and was therefore an important part of German wind energy production. But Vestas will now focus its activities on the construction of offshore wind turbines, which is seen as a dramatic turning point for wind energy in Germany. Other companies, such as Nordex, are also reducing or closing locations, which underlines the worrying developments in this industry District newspaper reported.
If you add the insolvency of the solar glass manufacturer in Tschernitz, which cost around 240 jobs and is considered a serious blow to Lusatia, the extent of the crisis in the renewable energy industry becomes clear. Despite the billion-dollar redirection of funds since 2000, the question remains whether government subsidies can actually create stable jobs. Also that one Lausitzer Allgemeine Zeitung According to him, the end of the funding period is a major challenge: many wind turbines now have to operate profitably without government support.
Criticism of the framework conditions
A big topic in the discussion is the dependence on Chinese products. This is viewed as worrying because competition from China is entering the market with cheaper offers. In addition, there are bureaucratic hurdles and high energy prices, which significantly affect the international competitiveness of German companies. Peter Rasenberger from Grantiro warns: “These developments could lead to economic problems.”
The approval process for wind turbines takes up to six years on average, which further reduces Germany's attractiveness as a production location. However, the managing director of the Federal Wind Energy Association, Wolfram Axthelm, remains optimistic and hopes for future approvals and an increase in the expansion of wind turbines in the coming years, according to the District newspaper.
Germany's pioneering role in the EU
Despite all the difficulties, Germany plays a pioneering role in wind power and solar energy in the European Union. At the end of 2022, wind and solar energy each covered a third of the installed capacity in Germany. According to data from the think tank Bruegel, published in the Frankfurter Rundschau were published, Germany occupies a central position in many areas of green technology.
However, a comparison with other countries shows that Germany lags behind countries like Poland and Sweden in the production of batteries. It is also only in seventh place in the EU in the area of electromobility, with electric cars making up 3.9 percent of the entire vehicle fleet. The decline in new registrations of electric cars from 16 percent in 2023 to 12 percent in March 2024 should also give cause for thought.
The federal government is under pressure to achieve its climate protection and energy transition goals. Critics, including the Federal Audit Office, point out that Germany is falling short of expectations. At a time when political and economic pressure is growing, the German economy must continually reinvent itself in order to survive global competition and successfully address the future challenges of the energy transition.